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Mexican Foreign Minister begins working trip to Caribbean

The Sixth Summit of Heads of States and/or Government of the Association of Caribbean States (ACS) takes place at the Yucatan Siglo XXI Convention Centre in Merida, Mexico from April 30. ACS Secretary General Alfonso Munera and Mexican Nobel Prize winner Mario Molina are listed to deliver remarks at the high-profile event.

One highlight of the Summit is a presentation of the “New Initiatives for the Benefit of the Caribbean” offered by the government of Mexico.

To prepare the work agenda for the Summit, Mexico Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Antonio Meade, is visiting various Caribbean nations, including Barbados, Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago, Prensa Latina reported.

In the particular case of Barbados, Guyana, and Trinidad and Tobago, Meade will renew his Government's invitation so that they participate in the III CARICOM Summit, which will take place in parallel to the meeting of the ACS.

Meade's recently completed visits to Dominica, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and Haiti. An evaluation of the Plan of Action of Petion-Ville, which came out of the last Summit in Haiti, is expected to feature on the ACS Sixth Summit agenda.

Relations with the wider Caribbean are significant to Mexico. In addition to geographical proximity, the central American nation has historical links with this region. An agreeement on technical cooperation was signed by Caricom leadership and the government of Mexico as far back as May 18, 1990. The main issues fostered by this Latin American nation through this regional mechanism are the prevention and attention of natural disasters, sustainable tourism, short sea shipping, and infrastructure.